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Welcome to the Paradox Community Wish List - Page 7. To have your own wishes added to the list click here.


Tools/Experts/Interactive Features
  • Dialogs
    • Define Field: Increase the calc field entry box in define field so it is wider and taller so I can see long calc field definitions
    • General: Easier to customize dialogs - at least allow changing button text.
    • General: ezDialogs by Woll2Woll Software built into Paradox
    • General: Allow dynamic resizing of dialogs and resize the field/text objects within the dialog at the same time
    • Info Structure: Make table info structure dialog NOT modal (so it can be open while you work)
    • Info Structure: Bring back the save as when viewing a table structure, so it saves the structure in a table, 'save structure as'.
    • Info Structure: Add an interactive option that let's you save the structure to various file formats, e.g. comma delimited text, spreadsheet, HTML, XML, and so on).
    • Properties: Lock which tab is active so that when you select a different object, while the properties dialog is open, the same tab is active (if that tab is applicable to the new object, if not, go to the new object's first tab).
    • Restructure: Fix the Table Restructure Utility so that restructuring a table by typing instead of using a mouse does not practically destroy your table! The dropdowns for Field Type, etc. are horrible. Also, bring back the <CTRL-D> function for Field Names.
    • Create/Restructure Dialog - Rework the keyboard navigation changes made in Paradox 10 so that it's as easy to create (or restructure) tables with the keyboard as it was in older versions.

      Example, try using just the keyboard to create a moderately complex table with multiple field types and secondary indexes. Now, repeat the same process using an older version of Paradox, say 5 or 7.16. You'll see the difference.
    • New! 26 May 2003 Create/Restructure Dialog - add a place to add documentation at the field level (e.g. 255 or more character field description for each field).
  • Documentation
    • Real examples in the documentation
  • Modified Features
    • Ability to search both tables in a 1:1 link on a form
    • Control-Z interactive locates: add a prior, first and last
    • "Tail-wag-the-dog" filters. Currently you can make a child table master of the intrinsic master table in data model but sometimes that doesn't easily allow the type of view that may be desired. It would be good to have a ???-filter as well as a normal filter, whereby when setting the ???-filter only those records in the master table having child records complying with filter are shown in master table (and only those child records complying with filter are shown). Yes, can be done with code but what a nuisance for such a simple thing.
    • How about an easy way to turn the Expert on and off? I find the Expert useful for a limited number of functions (Combos populated/filtered from a table). Normally I keep it turned off. But I have to click way down to the Preference settings to turn it on/off. How about a button on the Toolbar, or even a setting in the Perfect Expert side panel?
    • Make activating hyperlinks a double click instead of a single click - and soon!
    • Better pxdlite (custom menu item in Tools menu) support. Ability to add the appropriate tooltip for the item being added. Not have other menu items' tooltips affected when adding custom menu items.
    • Put the data model icon back on the toolbar so don't have to drop down the Format menu to find the data model.
    • Change the leading zero property for number formats to allow at least 6 leading zeros.
    • New! 26 May 2003 Multi-level cascading referential integrity.
    • New! 26 May 2003 Un-bundle referential integrity from .VAL files; if RI is messed up (e.g. a corrupted file), it's ridiculous to have to rebuild not only RI, but also the (unrelated-to-RI) validity checks for every table (which are stored in .VALs along with RI).
    • New! 26 May 2003 A way to temporarily diable RI for developers - e.g. to load tables with values, or to experiment, without having to un-do & re-do every affected table (all througout the database) each time; obviously, when RI is re-enabled, the RI is enforced once more, auto-deleting non-conforming records.
    • New! 26 May 2003 When records are auto-deleted into "PROBLEMS.DB" table, have an auxiliary table related (by record number?) including the REASON for rejection of each record (note: if the record may have failed for more than one reason, at least include the reason for which it was actually/initially rejected).
    • New! 26 May 2003 Also, if RI is disrupted (e.g. a related table deleted from OS level), instead of making the related table(s) impossible to restructure (without deleting .VAL files), make it "friendly" like it is if a table lookup isn't found: allow to "fail open," "open read-only," or "remove RI."
  • New Features
    • When viewing a table, we have quick form, quick report, etc. How about a quick query? I often have to perform a 1 table query quickly
    • Interactive bookmarks / smarter navigation. For apps opening many forms it would be very useful to be able with one click to attach a bookmark to the current screen "state" (i.e. all currently opened / visible objects to be opened / visible where they currently are). Bookmark could have 2 optional extra requirements: 1. filters etc applied as were in force; 2. Records in focus that were in focus. Bookmark could be named. User would have option to jump directly back to any bookmark from any where. Big time saver (for that kind of app).
    • Guided data design / Auto normalizer (more for novices but if done really well might save time for pro's). A carefully thought out series of questions about proposed data to which user can give simple answers and which will result in well structured, well designated (names, field names, aliases, etc.) tables and maybe even forms and reports. Very different I think to grabbing pro forma samples, etc.
    • Utility to modify table language of a table or group thereof
  • Queries
    • When running a query let the BDE send info back every X seconds which can be picked up in Opal and indicates how much of the query has been done and how much still has to be done. In that way you could have a realtime progressbar.
    • Rather than killing off queries and trying to push us into (slower?) SQL, do the opposite. Beef up the possibilities with QBE.
    • New! 26 May 2003Interactive interface for building queries that is form-based and allows for vertical or more flexible placement of fields (rather than the row look of a QBE window). Perhaps a wizard to build a query-by-form query.
    • New! 26 May 2003Quick way to jump to a particular field name in a query window (rather than tabbing through fields or using the mouse).
  • User Interface
    • Have standard hot keys for text, Control-U is underline, Control-B is Bold, etc.
    • A last or most recently used file list in the File menu.
  • Utilities
    • Improved Import/Export utility
    • Utility for global search and replace in code across multiple objects (forms/scripts/libraries)

Page 1: Data Model Designer/Dialog and Design Mode Features
Page 2: Miscellaneous
Page 3: Object Additions/Improvements
Page 4: Object Explorer, ObjectPAL Editor and Debugging Tools
Page 5: ObjectPAL Language
Page 6: Printing and Reports and Project Viewer

Page 8: General (or Miscellaneous 2)
Page 9: Suite Integration


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